


Confessions

by Ionaonie



Series: Promises [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Feels, Gen, Hale Family Feels, I just need Derek to have something good, Protective Siblings, Sibling Love, Spoilers for Season 3, episode tag 303
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2013-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 02:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/856866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ionaonie/pseuds/Ionaonie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cora has a question. </p><p>Only Lydia has the answer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> So, this wasn't supposed to happen. But then Shay left a comment wanting another chapter and possibly including Lydia. 
> 
> I was like, 'nope, not happe -- oh. Wait. I have an idea' and this was the result. 
> 
> I wanted to get it out before 304 aired (in like, what an hour) and it's horribly, horribly jossed, so there might be some mistakes and I could well clean them up at a later date.

Stiles hadn’t actually called them down when the pizza had arrived. Instead he’d struggled up the stairs with two large pizzas, a jug of water and a bottle of coke. He’d breezed in, teased them both about their choice of toppings and breezed back out again, promising that they wouldn’t be disturbed. From the slightly flummoxed look on Derek’s face, Stiles being so considerate wasn’t the usual, but, honestly, Cora didn’t care as it meant she got to spend more time with her brother. 

After their first slice Derek had started talking. Haltingly. And with lots of long, uncomfortable silences as he gathered his thoughts. Derek had never been careful choosing words six years ago. It had been nearly impossible to shut him up. Halfway through her second piece of pizza, Cora had dropped her slice back into the box and just listened, unable to concentrate on food. 

‘And, well, that’s everything.’ 

‘Holy shit. Derek. That…that’s.’ Cora trailed off and shook her head. ‘Uncle Peter did all of that? _Our_ Uncle Peter. For real?’

Derek nodded. 

‘Well, shit.’ 

‘It’s been a weird six months.’

Pausing with a piece of pizza half way to her mouth, appetite back, Cora snorted. ‘That’s more than weird, Derek. That’s ten kinds of fucked up.’

‘Yeah, well.’ 

There were so many things that they needed to talk about, as much as she’d prefer to stay where she was, but first she had to make sure Derek knew one thing. The most important thing. She put her slice down. ‘You get that Kate used you, right? What happened wasn’t your fault.’ 

Derek clenched his jaw, and, yeah, that was still a familiar sight. ‘I -’

‘Hey, I’m seventeen. I get how you could get taken in by an older woman. Being a werewolf doesn’t make you immune to being lied to, people just have to work harder to make it happen.’ 

Derek snorted and glared bitterly at the wall behind her. It wasn’t exactly hard to sense the self-hatred in Derek. It was a bit too much like looking in a mirror. 

Cora opened her mouth to ask how Laura had tried to beat the guilt out of him, but realised that everything about the way Derek was holding himself told her that Laura had never known. In fact, Cora was prepared to bet that this was the first time he’d told anyone. Laura or their mom would have known what to say, but she didn’t so instead she hung on to him a little bit tighter. 

‘I don’t blame you,’ she said softly. 

‘You should.’ 

‘I know you believe that.’ It had been obvious in the way Derek had held himself utterly still as he told her, that he’d expected her to blame him, to yell at him. Maybe hit him and attack him again. This time in her right mind. But she still had to tell Derek what had happened to her after their mom had managed to create a gap big enough for her to scramble out of, yelling at her to run. Cora had run and never looked back. If she’d known Laura and Derek had survived, maybe everything would have been different. But she hadn’t and it wasn’t so there wasn’t really much point wishing it were so. ‘No, I really shouldn’t. And anyway, you seem to hate yourself enough for every single person on the planet.’ 

Derek didn’t seem to hear her. ‘If I hadn’t -’ 

She grabbed his hand. ‘Stop. Seriously. Stop. Listen to my heartbeat. Not even remotely kidding when I say that I don’t blame you. You’re a stubborn ass, so I doubt you’ll listen to me right now. I’m going to keep telling you. Just so you know.’ 

‘You’re still very irritating, you know that.’

Cora huffed a relieved laugh. ‘Takes one to know one.’ She picked her slice back up. ‘So, look, we still have to talk about what happened to me.’ Derek started to protest, but Cora hit him on the shoulder to shut him up. ‘No, really we do. Because you need to know stuff. But first I have one question about everything you’ve just told me.’

‘What?’ Derek asked around his own slice. 

‘How did Peter rise from the dead?’

‘I told you -’

‘Yeah, yeah. Ancient ritual, Lydia blah, blah, blah. What I mean is, _how_ did he do it? Because, look, you said Peter never met this Lydia until he attacked her, right?’ 

‘Yeah.’ 

‘So when did he clue Lydia in on his little plan? After you’d put him in the ground? Did she know what he was doing?’ 

Derek cocked his head, brow furrowing even further. ‘I honestly don’t know.’ With a low growl, Derek pushed his pizza away, unwrapped his arms from around her, untangled their legs and walked over to the door, wrenching it open. ‘Peter, get up here.’ 

‘You called, dear nephew.’ Cora shivered. It was Uncle Peter’s voice but at the same time, it really wasn’t. It was unnerving, to say the very least. 

Derek pulled the door to, making it so he was filling the doorway and it was impossible to see her. It was a relief. Derek was different, older, wore, but he still _felt_ like her brother. Peter, though, the more she concentrated on him, the less he seemed like the uncle she remembered. 

‘What did you do to Lydia?’ 

‘Why, nothing. What could I possibly have done? She’s been busy discovering dead and bloody bodies this fine night.’ 

‘That’s not what -’ Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Never mind. Get out. Just. Get out.’ 

‘Of course. Whatever you command.’ Cora didn’t know what Derek might have said to Peter about her before she’d regained consciousness, but her entire body relaxed as he walked away without asking to see her. 

Derek stayed standing in the doorway, hand gripping the top of the door, the wood creaking. Hearing the front door slam, Derek relaxed ever so slightly. ‘Stiles,’ he called down the stairs. ‘Get up here.’ 

Cora smiled slightly as she hear Stiles clatter up the stairs and almost skid to a halt in front of Derek. 

‘What’s up, sourwolf?’ 

Cora sniggered, full out laughing when Derek scowled and ignored her. She liked Stiles. 

‘Call Lydia. Get her here.’ 

‘Uh, can I tell her why?’ 

‘I need to ask her something.’ Something must have shown on Stiles’ face because Derek sighed. ‘I’m not going to - it’s nothing bad.’

‘Because I was there for when you blamed her for Peter’s resurrection.’ Cora wished she could see Derek’s face because Stiles made a long, comprehending noise. ‘That’s what you want to talk about.’ 

‘Yes, Stiles.’ 

Cora didn’t bother trying to hide her amusement at Derek’s long-suffering tone. 

‘Well, why didn’t you say so? As long as you promise you’re not going to act like she had a choice in any of this, I’ll call her right now.’ Stiles didn’t wait for a reply, instead disappearing back down the stairs. Cora could hear him talking to Lydia as he went. 

Derek closed the door, shaking his head. ‘I was never good with the rituals,’ he said. ‘I never thought to ask.’

‘Well, I guess we ask now.’ 

 

—

 

There was a knock on the door. 

‘It’s her,’ Derek told her. 

‘Believe it or not, I got that from Stiles’ enthusiastic greeting. Does he have a thing for her or something?’ 

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘It’s waning. Finally.’ 

‘Finally?’ 

Derek didn’t answer, instead rolling smoothly off the bed, grabbing their empty pizza boxes and dumping them by the door as he opened it. 

The girl who was standing outside, looked apprehensive at best but Cora could see the fierce determination not to be scared shining through. It was something she’d had to learn over the years and recognising the look wasn’t difficult when you knew what to look for. 

‘What do you want?’ she snapped. ‘To blame me for your crazy uncle again?’ 

Derek winced. ‘You should come in.’ 

‘In there? With two werewolves? Really? How stupid do you think I am?’ 

‘Do you really think Stiles would ask you to come here if he thought I was going to hurt you?’ 

Lydia narrowed her eyes, but took a cautious couple of steps over the threshold. 

Derek left the door open. ‘I don’t think you’re stupid. If there is one thing Stiles has made abundantly clear over the summer, it’s that your brain should be declared a national treasure.’ 

There was a ghost of a smile but it vanished quickly. ‘So, why am I here?’ 

‘This is my younger sister, Cora.’ 

‘Stiles told me all about her. Or, at least, what he knew.’ She gave Cora a slight smile. ‘Hi.’ 

‘You smell weird.’ Cora smacked a hand to her mouth in horror. Those were not the words she’d expected to say. ‘Not in a bad way,’ Cora hastened to add through her fingers. ‘It’s just really distinctive. Like nothing I’ve ever scented before.’ She glanced over at Derek to see him smirking at her. It was the most Derek-like he’d been so far. 

‘Well, as long as it’s not in a bad way…’ Lydia said dryly. 

‘Derek, didn’t you want to ask Lydia something?’ she asked, desperate to push attention away from her runaway mouth. 

He raised an amused eyebrow in her direction but he quickly turned serious. ‘Cora asked me how Peter managed to resurrect himself and I realised that I know what happened to me, but not what happened to you. I thought I should ask.’ 

‘You’re asking?’ 

‘I am.’ 

‘He took over my brain, my body and made me do things I didn’t want to.’ She looked Derek straight in the eye and her heartbeat was steady. ‘Is that what you wanted to hear?’ 

‘Honestly? No, it’s not. But can you tell me what happened?’ 

‘And if I say no?’ 

A frustrated sound escaped Derek’s throat. ‘Then you walk out of here and go home.’ 

Lydia cocked her head, obviously surprised. ‘Huh. I think you might be growing as a person.’ She waved Derek back towards the bed. ‘Well, okay. You should probably sit down. I think this will take a while.’

Before depositing himself at the end of the bed, Derek grabbed the chair he’d been sitting on when Cora had woken and moved it closer to Lydia. 

‘I can leave,’ Cora offered when Lydia glanced at her. ‘You don’t know me.’

‘No, you should stay,’ Lydia said, sitting down. ‘He’s your uncle too and you should know what he did. I don’t want there to be an misunderstandings.’ 

Relief flashed through Cora, even though she couldn’t say why and she nodded. 

Cora could feel her strength returning but she still didn’t feel like moving much. She squirmed around so she could shove her toes under Derek’s thighs and settled back against the pillows to listen. Might as well be comfortable while listening to another horrible story about her favourite uncle. Or, former favourite uncle was probably more accurate now, by the sound of things. 

By the end of Lydia’s tale, Cora felt sick to her stomach and by the drawn look on his face and the sour scent she was picking up, Derek was feeling much the same. Even knowing what Peter had done to Laura and how he’d turned Scott against his will, this was almost worse. The Peter she and Derek had grown up with would never have used someone like that. It was indisputable proof that he’d completely changed. Cora somehow doubted it’d be possible to get back the old Peter. 

Cora nearly jumped as Derek’s hand wrapped around her nearest ankle as he spoke. ‘I had no idea.’ 

‘How did you think he’d done it?’ It was impossible to say how Lydia had meant her question to sound, but she sounded more curious than sarcastic or angry, like Cora knew she could have sounded in the same position. 

‘I didn’t really think about it,’ Derek admitted. ‘There was a lot going on with Gerard, Matt, Jackson and Peter.’ 

‘Well, you’re asking now. That’s something.’

‘Cora asked,’ Derek corrected, shooting her a grateful glance. ‘I’m not sure I ever would have otherwise.’ His honesty was brutal and it made Cora wince, even as she was almost impressed with how he didn’t try to fool either Lydia or himself. 

‘You get the problem in that, yeah?’ Which, honestly, was more reasonable than Cora had expected Lydia to be. After meeting her less than an hour ago Cora could tell Lydia was formidable and more than a little terrifying. 

Derek nodded. ‘I do. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what my uncle did to you and I’m sorry no-one was there for you.’

‘I -’ Tension seemed to seep out of Lydia’s body and she took a few moments to collect herself, staring down at her lap and smoothing out her skirt. ‘Thank you.’ 

‘I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t have to deal with Peter.’

‘Don’t coddle me,’ Lydia snapped. 

Derek blinked, looking befuddled. ‘What?’ 

‘I don’t need to to protect me from Peter. Although I suppose I appreciate the offer.’

‘Uh - ‘

‘Can I go home now?’ 

‘Stiles, get up here,’ yelled Derek without getting up off the bed. ‘He needs to get some sleep, too. Could you drop him back home on your way?’ 

‘You might not be completely useless as a person,’ Lydia told him, standing up. 

‘Thanks,’ Derek said dryly. 

‘But you should try listening to people to begin with instead of assuming you know what happened to them.’ 

‘Yeah.’ 

‘You called?’ Stiles said, bounding into the room. ‘Everything okay? No-one was horribly maimed or killed.’ 

‘We all survived, Stiles,’ Lydia said with a roll of her eyes. ‘Come on, I’m dropping you home. You look like you’re about to fall dead asleep on your feet.’

Stiles glanced over at Derek. ‘No, but see, we have to talk about -’

‘We can talk tomorrow,’ Derek interrupted. ‘When you’re awake and only speaking the usual amount of nonsense.’ 

‘I never speak nonsense,’ Stiles protested. He huffed when Derek raised an eyebrow. ‘Not that much, anyway.’ 

‘I can smell the exhaustion on you,’ Derek told him. He sounded annoyed, and judging by Stiles’ scowl, that was how he was interpreting Derek’s bitchiness. But Cora could hear the worry and the fondness in there as well. 

‘Fine.’ Stiles jabbed a finger at Derek. ‘But I’m coming back tomorrow. We need to work out what the Alphas next display of Bond villainy is going to be and work out who’s killing virgins and why. Virgin sacrifice is so passe. I need it not to be a thing.’

‘And all of that will still be here in the morning,’ Lydia told him impatiently, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him from the room. 

Stiles rolled his eyes but didn’t even put up a token argument. Cora couldn’t say she blamed him. He waved to both her and Derek as he stumbled past, obviously tired to the point of exhaustion. ‘It was great meeting you,’ Stiles said to her. ‘Even if the whole trying to kill Derek and Scott thing kind of sucked. And congratulations on not being dead. That’s kind of awesome.’ 

Cora laughed. ‘Thanks, I guess.’ 

‘Stiles, shut up and leave,’ Derek added. 

Stiles closed the door behind him and Lydia and Cora listened to him explain to Scott, Isaac and Boyd that he’d been ordered home by Derek and he was leaving his jeep for Scott. 

With a grin, she knocked her shoulder against Derek’s. ‘I’m proud of you, big brother.’ 

‘Huh?’ 

‘You’ve managed to collect quite the pack around yourself.’ 

Derek snorted. ‘They kind of hate me.’ 

‘No, they don’t. I mean, don’t get me wrong, from what you’ve told me you didn’t exactly make it easy for them to trust you in the beginning but I think they’re coming around now. I don’t think Stiles would be here if he didn’t trust you and he definitely wouldn’t have got Lydia here for you. Stop beating yourself up.’ She frowned. ‘And maybe get some sleep’ 

‘Sleep? You sound like mom.’ 

‘Yeah, well,’ Pulling back her toes, Cora sat up on her knees and fell into Derek’s side, wrapping her arms around his stomach and hugging him tight. She wasn’t going to stop doing that any time soon. ‘I think you need someone around to tell you things like that.’ 

‘And that’s going to be you, huh?’ 

‘Definitely. There’s no getting rid of me now.’ 

Derek kissed her temple. ‘Good.’

**Author's Note:**

> I know that on one of the Tumblr Q&A's that Jeff Davis said that Derek is aware of what actually happened to Lydia but that makes Derek a huge tool. More than he usually is...and the way he's so dismissive of Lydia makes me kind of hate him. I can't live with kind of hating Derek so I'm living by my policy of, if it's not explicitly mentioned in the show - or at least hinted towards - then it didn't happen. 
> 
> So, as far as I'm concerned, Derek hasn't a fucking clue what Peter put Lydia through.


End file.
